State rep.: Texas deserves more blame for Ebola cases than CDC

It is the State of Texas, not the federal government, that deserves the blame for any problems with the handling of the country’s first Ebola patient, a longtime Houston lawmaker said Thursday.

State Rep. Garnet Coleman, a Democrat who has served on the House Public Health Committee longer than any other legislator, said the infection of two Dallas health workers may signal serious problems with the state’s public health system that will have to be addressed in next year’s session. He added that focusing on the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, as many state politicians have done, misses the point

“The immediate responsibility for containing emergency health situations is the state, not the CDC. That’s how the system works,” Coleman said. “The reality is, if there was a slow or poor response, it’s the state’s fault.”

“I appreciate the Obama administration’s apology,” he said later, “but have we heard anybody from the State of Texas say they’re sorry?”

Coleman said he believes state health commissioner David Lakey is working hard but has been hamstrung by budget cuts in recent years. Lawmakers have cut money and staff in state public health programs, as well as funding for county programs, he said earlier this week.

“At the end of the day, it’s the counties that have to lead the response to infectious disease outbreaks,” Coleman said, adding his concern was not specifically about Ebola but future viruses that prove more contagious.

Coleman said he has scheduled a discussion on preparedness for Monday in the House County Affairs Committee that he chairs.